themilkybarkid
25th April 2009, 06:22 AM
This was published in today's UK Daily Telegraph article about people wanting to leave the UK and where to go to - thought people might be interested:
NEW ZEALAND
Why go? A total detox from the urban rat-race.
Population: 4.3 million in a country roughly the same area as the UK.
Life expectancy: 78
Tax: 33 per cent
State pension: Yes, but if you haven't made sufficient contributions you can also transfer your UK pension. You need to have lived and paid taxes in NZ for a total of 10 years since you turned 20 or 5 years since you turned 50 to qualify.
Property: Average prices now above £150,000 – but renting is cheap.
Employment: Very limited in rural NZ, but elsewhere lots of opportunities for anyone with a skill – from plumbers to neurosurgeons.
State education: Full provision for residents. Go to the cities for top quality secondary education.
Healthcare: Good standard provided through a version of a national insurance scheme, but you need to pay at some points, including for adult GP consultations.
Crime: Very low by UK standards; national figures are skewed by small pockets of crime in big cities.
Lifestyle: A typical weekend could include kayaking, fly fishing, mountain biking or walking on some of the world's most celebrated hiking tracks.
Weather: Not unlike the UK but beware the Kiwi belief that central heating is for sissies.
The people – do they bite? New Zealanders are straight-talking, generous people, who hate pretentiousness. Give favours, repay favours and you won't go wrong. And remember, no whingeing from the Poms, please.
Food & drink: Cheaper than the UK by about 20 per cent, but wages are low, so if you earn in NZ dollars the weekly supermarket shop will not feel cheap.
Countryside: Epic – it was not for nothing that NZ was chosen as the location for Lord of the Rings.
How easy to get in? NZ suffers from a brain-drain to Australia and Europe, so the authorities are actively seeking migrants. However they want quality, not quantity. If you have skills you will pass the points test for residency easily.
NEW ZEALAND
Why go? A total detox from the urban rat-race.
Population: 4.3 million in a country roughly the same area as the UK.
Life expectancy: 78
Tax: 33 per cent
State pension: Yes, but if you haven't made sufficient contributions you can also transfer your UK pension. You need to have lived and paid taxes in NZ for a total of 10 years since you turned 20 or 5 years since you turned 50 to qualify.
Property: Average prices now above £150,000 – but renting is cheap.
Employment: Very limited in rural NZ, but elsewhere lots of opportunities for anyone with a skill – from plumbers to neurosurgeons.
State education: Full provision for residents. Go to the cities for top quality secondary education.
Healthcare: Good standard provided through a version of a national insurance scheme, but you need to pay at some points, including for adult GP consultations.
Crime: Very low by UK standards; national figures are skewed by small pockets of crime in big cities.
Lifestyle: A typical weekend could include kayaking, fly fishing, mountain biking or walking on some of the world's most celebrated hiking tracks.
Weather: Not unlike the UK but beware the Kiwi belief that central heating is for sissies.
The people – do they bite? New Zealanders are straight-talking, generous people, who hate pretentiousness. Give favours, repay favours and you won't go wrong. And remember, no whingeing from the Poms, please.
Food & drink: Cheaper than the UK by about 20 per cent, but wages are low, so if you earn in NZ dollars the weekly supermarket shop will not feel cheap.
Countryside: Epic – it was not for nothing that NZ was chosen as the location for Lord of the Rings.
How easy to get in? NZ suffers from a brain-drain to Australia and Europe, so the authorities are actively seeking migrants. However they want quality, not quantity. If you have skills you will pass the points test for residency easily.